Howling at the Moon

September 21st, 2012

By Maureen Moser

Next Saturday night (September 29) we’ll have a full moon over Southern California. As the legend goes, a full moon means an increase in lycanthropy—more commonly known as werewolf transformations! Monster-movie fan Sandra finds plenty of theological meat to chew on while watching her favorite creature features (like 1941’s The Wolf Man). She explains, “Werewolves are both human and monster. In a sense, they outwardly represent the inward struggle we all have between our greatness and wretchedness (the imago Dei and our sin nature).”

Fortunately, God Himself provided the “silver bullet” for our inward struggle: His Son’s sacrificial death and victorious resurrection. Christ’s offer of salvation is the ultimate testament to God’s grace, but evidence of His thoughtful care for humanity abounds throughout nature as well.

The Moon, rather than boding horror mayhem, is an example of the fine-tuning necessary for life to exist on planet Earth. Even the Moon’s formation had to be just right. Astronomers believe the Moon formed as a result of a collision between Earth and another body. RTB founder Hugh Ross notes that the mass of the collider, the timing of the event, and the location of impact all had to be just right—otherwise the impact event could have altered Earth’s atmosphere, orbit, and Moon is such a way that life would be impossible.

It’s a good thing that God’s fingerprints are evident throughout nature. Romans 1:20 reminds us that “God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.” Creation is designed, not only to sustain us physically, but also to direct our hearts and minds to the Creator who offers salvation. Verse 21 goes on to say that when we ignore such signposts, we become inflicted with “futile” thinking and “darkened” hearts—much like the tormented werewolves of lore.

— Maureen

Resources: You can get more details on the Moon’s formation in these resources:

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